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1.
We examined the impact of a cyclonic eddy and mode-water eddy on particle flux in the Sargasso Sea. The primary method used to quantify flux was based on measurements of the natural radionuclide, 234Th, and these flux estimates were compared to results from sediment traps in both eddies, and a 210Po/210Pb flux method in the mode-water eddy. Particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes at 150 m ranged 1–4 mmol C m−2 d−1 and were comparable between methods, especially considering differences in integration times scales of each approach. Our main conclusion is that relative to summer mean conditions at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site, eddy-driven changes in biogeochemistry did not enhance local POC fluxes during this later, more mature stage of the eddy life cycle (>6 months old). The absence of an enhancement in POC flux puts a constraint on the timing of higher POC flux events, which are thought to have caused the local O2 minima below each eddy, and must have taken place >2 months prior to our arrival. The mode-water eddy did enhance preferentially diatom biomass in its center, where we estimated a factor of three times higher biogenic Si flux than the BATS summer average. An unexpected finding in the highly depth-resolved 234Th data sets is narrow layers of particle export and remineralization within the eddy. In particular, a strong excess 234Th signal is seen below the deep chlorophyll maxima, which we attribute to remineralization of 234Th-bearing particles. At this depth below the euphotic zone, de novo particle production in the euphotic zone has stopped, yet particle remineralization continues via consumption of labile sinking material by bacteria and/or zooplankton. These data suggest that further study of processes in ocean layers is warranted not only within, but below the euphotic zone.  相似文献   

2.
The EDdy Dynamics, mixing, Export, and Species composition (EDDIES) project provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the response of the microbial community and further understand the biological and biogeochemical consequences of mesoscale perturbation events in an oligotrophic system. In order to characterize microbial dynamics, we performed measurements of bacterial biomass (BB) and production (BP) and phytoplankton pigment analyses in two upwelling eddies in the Sargasso Sea sampled in 2004 and 2005. We also observed a 3-fold increase in BP at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site during the passage of a cyclonic eddy in 2003. Although the integrated BB and BP over 140 m in 2004 and 2005 eddies remained within the climatological range measured at the BATS site, there was systematic variability in bacterioplankton dynamics across both eddies. Cyclonic eddy C1 demonstrated decreased BP at the feature's center relative to its periphery, and BP was not correlated with total chlorophyll a (TChl a) variability. However, BP correlated with prymnesiophyte pigments throughout the feature. In contrast, mode-water eddy A4 showed an enhancement in BP at the eddy center (EC) relative to its edges and was coincident with elevated TChl a, high primary production measurements, and a high concentration of diatoms. In eddy A4, the tight relationship between enhanced BP, TChl a and specific phytoplankton taxa implies that the phytoplankton community structure was an important factor influencing BP variability. While the heterotrophic bacterial response in C1 and A4 was not enhanced relative to BATS summer climatology, these data and the presence of similar nutrient fields across both eddies suggest that BP and BB were influenced by the eddy perturbations and responded to changes in the phytoplankton community.  相似文献   

3.
Mesoscale eddies are important suppliers of nutrients to the surface waters of oligotrophic gyres, but little is known about the biological response, particularly that of higher trophic levels, to these physical perturbations. During the summers of 2004 and 2005, we followed the development of a cyclonic eddy and an anti-cyclonic mode-water eddy in the Sargasso Sea. Zooplankton (>150 μm) were collected across both eddies in 9 discrete depth intervals between 0 and 700 m. Comparison of the abundance of major taxa of mesozooplankton in the upper 150 m at eddy center and outside the eddies (day and night) indicated that the cyclone and mode-water eddy supported similar mesozooplankton communities, with several taxa significantly higher in abundance inside than outside the eddies, when compared with the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study site as representative of mean conditions. In both eddies copepod peak abundance occurred in the 50-100 m depth interval, coincident with the chlorophyll a maximum, suggesting elevated food concentration in the eddies may have influenced zooplankton vertical distribution. The two eddies differed in the strength of diel vertical migration of zooplankton, as indicated by the ratio of night:day abundance in the epipelagic zone, which was higher at the center of the mode-water eddy for most taxa. Over the sampling interval of 1-2 months, abundance of the three most common taxa (copepods, chaetognaths, and ostracods) decreased in the cyclone and increased in the mode-water eddy. This further supports previous findings that over the sampling period the cyclone was in a decay phase, while the mode-water eddy was sustaining nutrient fluxes and high phytoplankton concentrations. A more detailed analysis of community structure in the mode-water eddy indicated the 0-700 m integrated abundance of doliolids was significantly higher inside the mode-water eddy than outside. The presence of a mesopelagic (200-700 m) layer of lepadid barnacle cyprids in this eddy highlights the potential of eddies to transport and disperse biota. We conclude that when compared with average ambient conditions (as measured at BATS), mesoscale eddies can influence zooplankton behavior and alter zooplankton community structure which can affect food-web interactions and biogeochemical cycling in the open ocean.  相似文献   

4.
In this paper we summarise the photo-physiological responses of phytoplankton to upwelling of macronutrients in mesoscale eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic (EDDIES project, Sargasso Sea) and subtropical North Pacific (E-FLUX project, Hawaii). The observations, obtained on two sets of cruises over 2 years, occupied six cyclonic eddies and two mode-water eddies. The photosynthetic physiological parameters were measured using a bench-top fluorescence induction and relaxation (FIRe) system and a submersible in situ fast repetition rate fluorometer (FRRF) deployed on an undulating towed vehicle. Both of these instruments were used to provide highly sensitive and well-resolved data on community responses. The responses are dependent on both the type of eddy and its stage of development. Our results indicate that, while cyclonic eddies in the Atlantic and Pacific can increase primary photosynthetic production early in their development, mode-water eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic can support patchy blooms of large diatoms for long periods of time (more than 3 months).  相似文献   

5.
Accumulating evidence points to the importance of mesoscale eddies in supplying nutrients to surface waters in oligotrophic gyres. However, the nature of the biological response and its evolution over time has yet to be elucidated. Changes in mesozooplankton community composition due to eddy perturbation also could affect biogeochemical cycling. Over the course of two summers we sampled seven eddies in the Sargasso Sea. We focused on and followed a post-phytoplankton bloom cyclonic eddy (C1) in 2004 and a blooming mode-water anticyclonic eddy (A4) in 2005. We collected zooplankton in all eddies using a Multiple Opening and Closing Net Environmental Sampling System (MOCNESS) and quantified biomass (>0.15 mm, in five size fractions) from 0 to 700 m over nine discrete depth intervals. Zooplankton biomass (>0.5 mm) in the upper 150 m was similarly enhanced at night for the periphery of C1 and the center of A4 at 0.514 g m−2 and 0.533 g m−2, respectively, compared to outside (0.183 g m−2 outside C1 and 0.197 g m−2 outside A4). Despite minimal chlorophyll a enhancement and dominance by picoplankton in C1, zooplankton biomass increased most for the largest size class (>5 mm). Gut fluorescence for euphausiids and large copepods was also elevated on the C1 periphery. In A4, peak biomass occurred at eddy center coincident with peak primary production, but was highly variable (changing by >3-fold) over time, perhaps resulting from the dense, but patchy distribution of diatom chains in this region. Shifts in zooplankton community composition and abundance were reflected in enhancement of fecal pellet production and active transport by diel vertical migration in eddies. Inside C1 the flux of zooplankton fecal pellets at 150 m in June 2004 was 1.5-fold higher than outside the eddy, accounting for 9% of total particulate organic carbon (POC) flux. The flux of fecal pellets (mostly from copepods) increased through the summer in eddy A4, matching concurrent increases in zooplankton <2 mm in length, and accounting for up to 12% of total POC flux. Active carbon transport by vertically migrating zooplankton was 37% higher on the periphery of C1 and 74% higher at the center of A4 compared to the summer mean at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) station. Despite contrasting responses by the phytoplankton community to cyclonic and mode-water eddies, mesozooplankton biomass was similarly enhanced, possibly due to differential physical and biological aggregation mechanisms, and resulted in important zooplankton-mediated changes in mesoscale biogeochemistry.  相似文献   

6.
Thorium-234 and particle composition (organic matter, biogenic silica, carbonate and lithogenic component) were examined in the East China Sea (ECS) and the northern South China Sea (NSCS) in order to constrain the particle types scavenging thorium isotopes. Good positive correlations between particulate organic matter (POM) or carbonate and thorium-234 in suspended particulate matter (SPM) indicates that POM and carbonate are efficient to scavenge thorium-234. No relationship between biogenic silica and thorium-234 suggests that geochemical behavior of thorium-234 may be not influenced by biogenic silica. A simple model was used to evaluate the affinity of thorium-234 to different particle components. The results show that POM is the most efficient scavenger for thorium-234 in the ECS and the NSCS, followed by carbonate. The authors'' results lend support to the utility of thorium-234 as a proxy of POC and carbonate in the upper layer. However, the strong dependence of thorium scavenging on particle composition challenges thorium-230 as a constant flux proxy.  相似文献   

7.
崔伟  王伟  马毅  杨俊钢 《海洋学报》2017,39(2):16-28
本文利用22年的AVISO卫星高度计融合数据,基于WA涡旋自动识别方法对西北太平洋的中尺度涡进行了识别追踪,并统计分析了研究区域中尺度涡的空间分布特征、运动属性以及季节和年际变化。研究结果表明:22年间共追踪到生命周期超过30 d的气旋涡3 841个,反气旋涡2 836个,气旋涡数量多于反气旋涡。涡旋大部分向西移动,西向传播的涡旋分布在整个研究区域,而东向传播的涡旋则集中在黑潮及其延伸区。涡旋主要存在15°~30°N的纬度带间;分别而言,气旋涡主要分布在研究区域的北部和南部,而反气旋涡主要分布在副热带逆流区。30°~35°N之间的黑潮延伸区具有明显更高的涡动能和涡振幅,与同纬度区域相比这里的涡旋半径也较高。在季节和年际变化上,春季出现的中尺度涡最多,夏季最少;对涡旋的月生成数目与ENSO指数MEI比较发现,西北太平洋涡旋活动变化并不直接与ENSO现象相关。  相似文献   

8.
基于1993—2017年卫星高度计海面高度异常中尺度涡旋追踪数据集,对东海陆架区及从西北太平洋入侵东海的涡旋进行路径分类、季节变化及特征参量统计分析,并结合再分析流场资料,进行背景流场、涡度场分析。研究结果显示,近25 a,在东海追踪到318个气旋涡和276个反气旋涡。根据涡旋运动路径将其分为:东海陆架浅海生成往深海传播型(148个)、深海生成向东海陆架浅海传播型(35个)、沿等深线运动型(180个)、徘徊型(121个)、外来入侵到达东海陆架型(25个)及外来入侵到达东海深海型(85个)。6类涡旋的数量存在明显的季节分布,各个类型气旋与反气旋涡数量的季节分布也各不相同。其中,沿等深线运动型涡在春、夏季的数量高于秋、冬季。陆架浅海区生成往深海运动型涡的季节分布较为平均,气旋式涡在夏季数量最少,在春季和冬季数量较多。黑潮与涡旋数量的季节分布有关。徘徊型涡的平均生命周期最长,约为44 d;陆架浅海生成往深海运动型及外来入侵到达东海陆架的中尺度涡具有最大的平均振幅,为13.2 cm;外来入侵到达东海陆架型涡具有最大的直径,为122 km;外来入侵到达东海深海型涡在进入东海后的生命周期、振幅、直径在数值上均为最小。  相似文献   

9.
Relatively little is known about coherent vortices in the eastern South-Pacific along the Peruvian coast, even with regard to basic facts about their frequency of occurrence, longevity and structure. This study addresses these issues with nearly 15 years of relatively high-resolution satellite altimetry measurements.We first compare two distinct automated methods for eddy identification. The objective validation protocol shows that the rarely-used geometrical or “winding-angle method”, based on the curvature of the streamline functions, is more accurate than the commonly-used “Okubo–Weiss algorithm”, which defines a vortex as a simple connected region with values of Okubo–Weiss parameter weaker than a given threshold.We then investigate vortices off Peru using more than 20,000 mesoscale eddies identified by the winding-angle method. Coherent eddies, characterized by a high ratio of vorticity to deformation rate, are typically formed along the coast and propagate westward at 3–6 cm s−1. The vortices have a mean radius of 80 km, increasing northward, and are most frequently observed off of Chimbote (9°S) and south of San Juan (15°S). The mean eddy lifetime is about 1 month, but if eddies survive at least 2 months, the probability for surviving an additional week (or month) is constant at 90% (or 67%). Anticyclonic eddies tend to propagate northwestward whereas cyclonic vortices migrate southwestward. In general, cyclones and anticyclones are similar, except for eddies surviving at least 6 months. In this case, after a similar 3–4 months of radius and amplitude growth, amplitudes (or sizes) decay particularly rapidly for anticyclonic (or cyclonic) eddies. In terms of intensity, cyclonic eddies show a rapid decay during the first 3 months before arriving at a quasi-constant value, whereas anticyclones exhibit steady decline. Finally, eddy temporal variations were examined at seasonal and interannual scales in the “coastal” region favorable to the formation of energetic mesoscale structures. On seasonal scales, eddy activity is maximal in fall and minimum in spring. At interannual scales, the eddy activity index was maximal during the strong El Niño of 1997–1998 but another strong maximum of eddy activity also occurred late in 2004. These temporal variations are probably associated with the intensification of the upwelling thermal front and with the passage of coastal-trapped waves which generate baroclinic instabilities. Further investigation of the mechanisms involved on the eddy genesis is needed.  相似文献   

10.
基于1993—2017年从卫星高度计资料中识别出来的中尺度涡轨迹数据集,对冬、夏季孟加拉湾涡旋的源地和性质进行了研究。研究表明孟加拉湾西部、安达曼海和孟加拉湾通往赤道的出口处的中尺度涡旋活动呈现显著的季节性差异。安达曼海在冬、夏季从北往南中尺度涡旋分别以“反气旋涡-气旋涡-反气旋涡”和“气旋涡-反气旋涡-气旋涡”的格局分布。不同源区涡旋的季节性生长过程有明显差异。孟加拉湾西部的涡旋在夏季生长迅速但消散缓慢,斯里兰卡冷涡生长缓慢但消散迅速。不同源区涡旋半径和振幅大小有不同的特征。孟加拉湾西部,无论冬、夏季,反气旋涡的振幅、半径都比气旋涡大;夏季季风漂流区,气旋涡半径比反气旋涡小但是振幅比反气旋涡大;安达曼海内无论冬、夏季都是最北侧聚集区涡旋的半径和振幅最大。孟加拉湾内生命史为30~40 d的涡旋数量最多,生命史在100 d以上的涡旋主要分布在孟加拉湾西部。  相似文献   

11.
We report, from remote sensing and in situ observations, a new type of permanent structure in the eastern subtropical Atlantic Ocean, that we call the “Canary Eddy Corridor”. The phenomenon, is a zonal long-lived (>3 months) mesoscale eddy corridor, whose source is the flow perturbation of the Canary Current and the Trade Winds at the Canary Islands. The latitudinal range of the corridor spans 22°N–29°N and extends from the Canaries to at least 32ºW, near the mid-Atlantic. This is the main region of long-lived westward-propagating eddies in the subtropical northeast Atlantic. From a age-distribution study we observe that at least 10% of mesoscale eddies in this region are long-lived, with a dominance of anticyclones over cyclones. Another four westward-propagating eddy corridors were also detected: two small corridors north and south of the Azores Front; a small zonal corridor located near 31ºN, south of the island of Madeira; and a small corridor located near the Cape Blanc giant filament. The existence of these corridors may change, at least for the northeastern subtropical Atlantic, the general idea that mesoscale eddies are disorganized, ubiquitous structures in the ocean. The Canary Eddy Corridor constitutes a direct zonal pathway that conveys water mass- and biogeochemical properties offshore from the Canary Island/Northwest Africa upwelling system, and may be seen as a recurrent offshore pump of organic matter and carbon to the oligotrophic ocean interior. Estimates of volume and mass transport indicate that Canary Eddy Corridor westward transport is more than one-fourth of the southward transport of the Canary Current. The westward transport of kinetic energy by the eddies of the Canary Corridor is as important as the southward transport by the Canary Current. The total primary production related to the Corridor may be as high as the total primary production of the northwest Africa upwelling system for the same latitude range.  相似文献   

12.
采用AVISO提供的中尺度涡最新数据集,分析了孟加拉湾1993—2016年中尺度涡的总体特征和季节变化。结果表明:研究期间在孟加拉湾共有822个气旋涡,731个反气旋涡,主要分布在湾北部(15°N以北海域)和安达曼海。涡旋生命周期以28~59 d为主,平均振幅为7. 5 cm,平均半径为119. 6 km。在纬度变化上,涡旋振幅随纬度的增加有两个峰值,分别位于6°~9°N和15°~20°N之间,而涡旋半径随纬度增加而减少。涡旋的振幅、半径在随生命周期演变过程中生长过程较慢,消散过程较快。气旋涡和反气旋涡主要是向西移动,且均以向赤道方向偏移为主。在季节变化上,孟加拉湾较长生命周期(60 d以上)的中尺度涡具有明显的季节变化,春季生成的涡旋数量最多,冬季次之,夏季最少。通过合成分析得出风应力旋度是孟加拉湾中尺度涡季节变化的主要原因,而沿岸Kelvin波激发的西传Rossby波对涡旋的产生也有一定影响。涡动能分析表明,涡动能的高值区主要位于海盆的西边界和斯里兰卡东部海域,同时,在冬季、春季海盆的西边界和夏季、秋季海盆的北部涡旋活动较多的区域对应着较大的涡动能。  相似文献   

13.
Mesoscale eddies may enhance primary production (PP) in the open ocean by bringing nutrient-rich deep waters into the euphotic zone, potentially leading to increased transport of particles to depth. This hypothesis remains controversial, however, due to a paucity of direct particle export measurements. In this study, we investigated particle dynamics using 234Th–238U disequilibria within a mesoscale cold-core eddy, Cyclone Opal, which formed in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. 234Th samples were collected along two transects across Cyclone Opal as well as during a time-series within the eddy core during a decaying diatom bloom. Particulate carbon (PC), particulate nitrogen (PN) and biogenic silica (bSiO2) fluxes at 150 m varied spatially and temporally within the eddy and strongly depended on the 234Th model formulation used (e.g., steady state versus non-steady state, inclusion of upwelling, etc.). Particle fluxes estimated from a steady state model assuming an upwelling rate of 2 m day−1 yielded the best fit to sediment-trap data. These 234Th-derived particle fluxes ranged from 332±14 to 1719±53 μmol C m−2 day−1, 27±3 to 114±12 μmol N m−2 day−1, and 33±20 to 309±73 μmol Si m−2 day−1. Although PP rates within Cyclone Opal were elevated by a factor of 2–3, PC and PN fluxes were the same, within error, inside and outside of Cyclone Opal. The ratio of PC export to PP remained surprisingly low at <0.03 and similar to those measured in surrounding waters. In contrast, bSiO2 fluxes within the eddy core were three times higher. Detailed analyses of 234Th depth profiles consistently showed excess 234Th at 100–175 m, associated with the remineralization and possible accumulation of suspended and dissolved organic matter from the surface. We suggest that strong microzooplankton grazing facilitated particulate organic matter recycling and resulted in the export of empty diatom frustules. Thus, while eddies may increase PP, they do not necessarily increase PC and PN export to deep waters. This may be a general characteristic of wind-driven cyclonic eddies of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and suggests that eddies may preferentially act as a silica pump, thereby playing an important role in promoting silicic-acid limitation in the region.  相似文献   

14.
本文使用一种基于SLA数据的涡旋识别方法,通过22年的AVISO高度计测高数据对孟加拉湾的中尺度涡特征进行了研究。本文主要分析了孟加拉湾涡旋的地理分布、涡旋极性、涡旋生命周期和传播距离、涡旋产生和消失位置、涡旋传播方向和移动轨迹、涡旋运动特征、涡旋属性的演化以及涡旋活动的季节和年际变化等特性。涡旋主要分布在孟加拉湾西部海域,并且大部分涡旋向西移动。涡旋极性分布显示气旋涡更经常出现在湾的西北部和南部,而反气旋涡主要出现在湾的东部。在22年间,共追踪探测到生命周期超过30天的气旋涡565个、反气旋涡389个;对所有生命周期和传播距离而言都是气旋涡数量居多。所有观测到的涡旋的运动属性分析显示气旋涡的涡旋平均振幅大于反气旋涡;对平均半径和平均移动速度而言,气旋涡和反气旋涡相差不大。而且,涡旋属性演化显示生命周期超过90天的涡旋具有明显的双阶段演化特征,包括一个前50天的涡旋成长阶段和一个50天之后的涡旋消亡阶段。针对涡旋活动的季节变化,气旋涡在春季居多而反气旋涡在夏季较多;长生命周期的涡旋季节分布显示在孟加拉湾涡旋活动具有明显的季节分布特征。涡旋数量的年际变化与EKE变化有一个明显的负相关。  相似文献   

15.
Larval transport from distant populations is essential for maintenance and renewal of populations in patchy and disturbed ecosystems such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents. We use quasi-geostrophic modeling to consider the potential for long-distance dispersal of hydrothermal vent larvae in mesoscale eddies interacting with the northern East Pacific Rise. Modeled eddy dynamics were similar to the observed propagation dynamics of Tehuantepec eddies, including their ability to cross the ridge. Simulated surface anticyclones were associated with coherent cyclones in the deep layer with relatively strong current velocities that could significantly increase the dispersal potential of passive particles. Eddy interactions with ridge topography further enhanced tracer dispersal along the ridge axis through shearing and elongation of the eddy core. Simulations suggest that the passage of an eddy would result in local loss from the vent field and aggregate transport with potential enhancement of dispersal between vent fields separated by up to 270 km. Based on the latitude at which most Tehuantepec eddies cross the ridge, eddy-induced flows would enhance connectivity between the 13°N, 11°N, and 9°N vent fields along the East Pacific Rise asymmetrically with higher transport from northern vent fields to southern vent fields.  相似文献   

16.
Data on East Australian Current (EAC) warm-core eddies were obtained over the period 1976–1978 by the Department of Defence and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). In that time we have learned that warm eddies form by pinch-off of poleward EAC meanders, can coalesce with the EAC and appear generally similar to Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and other current system eddies. Two eddies were tracked over 1977–1978 with satellite buoys and one (eddy B) was repeatedly studied over eleven months. A deep winter core formed by winter convective cooling and the following summer a new surface mixed layer formed on top of the core. The seasonal changes have been analysed for heat content and changes in dynamic relief. The eddy decayed with a time constant of 650 ± 150 days, due to upwelling below the seasonal thermocline. Surface cooling had little effect on eddy lifetime. The eddy contracted horizontally, possibly after some interaction with the EAC, giving rise to eddy spin-up with increasing age. Surface currents increased after eleven months to 2.0 m s?1. The dynamic relief during summer was also apparently boosted by contact with the EAC. Eddy B was observed to coalesce with a new meander of the EAC rather than drift away to the south. It is proposed that the formation of these eddies is governed by the westward propagation of the baroclinic Rossby wave known as the Tasman Front. Pinch-off of eddies adjacent to the coast and the variable flow of the EAC may be caused by the baroclinic wave ‘breaking’ on the coast. The eddy formation rate is about two per year and most eddies coalesce with the EAC and do not escape to the south. Eddies coalesce and re-separate, creating many subsurface isothermal layers from old cores south of 34°S.  相似文献   

17.
Monthly mesoscale eddy kinetic energy (EKE) per unit mass has been computed for four years, 1993-1996, from TOPEX altimeter data in the Indian Ocean. It ranges from 50 cm2/s2 to 2,700 cm2/s2 (about 4,000 cm2/s2 near the Somali region in a few months). In the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, regions of high energies associated with various current systems under the influence of monsoonal winds have been delineated. Monthly variation of EKE near the Somali region has been studied. In this region the maximum EKE per unit mass has been observed during August every year, with variations in magnitude from year to year. The mesoscale eddy kinetic energy computed from TOPEX altimeter-derived SSH during 1993-1996 is highest near the Somali region during the SW monsoon, due to formation of mesoscale eddies and also because of upwelling. In the Bay of Bengal, high eddy kinetic energy is seen toward the western side during nonmonsoonal months due to the western boundary current. In the South Indian Ocean, it is high at a few places in some of the months. A large part of the Indian Ocean exhibits low eddy kinetic energy (less than 300 cm2/s2) year-round.  相似文献   

18.
Monthly mesoscale eddy kinetic energy (EKE) per unit mass has been computed for four years, 1993-1996, from TOPEX altimeter data in the Indian Ocean. It ranges from 50 cm2/s2 to 2,700 cm2/s2 (about 4,000 cm2/s2 near the Somali region in a few months). In the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, regions of high energies associated with various current systems under the influence of monsoonal winds have been delineated. Monthly variation of EKE near the Somali region has been studied. In this region the maximum EKE per unit mass has been observed during August every year, with variations in magnitude from year to year. The mesoscale eddy kinetic energy computed from TOPEX altimeter-derived SSH during 1993-1996 is highest near the Somali region during the SW monsoon, due to formation of mesoscale eddies and also because of upwelling. In the Bay of Bengal, high eddy kinetic energy is seen toward the western side during nonmonsoonal months due to the western boundary current. In the South Indian Ocean, it is high at a few places in some of the months. A large part of the Indian Ocean exhibits low eddy kinetic energy (less than 300 cm2/s2) year-round.  相似文献   

19.
The transition zone of the Canary Current upwelling region   总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2  
Like all the major upwelling regions, the Canary Current is characterised by intense mesoscale structure in the transition zone between the cool, nutrient-rich waters of the coastal upwelling regime and the warmer, oligotrophic waters of the open ocean. The Canary Island archipelago, which straddles the transition, introduces a second source of variability by perturbing the general southwestward flow of both ocean currents and Trade winds. The combined effects of the flow disturbance and the eddying and meandering of the boundary between upwelled and oceanic waters produce a complex pattern of regional variability. On the basis of historical data and a series of interdisciplinary field studies, the principal features of the region are described. These include a prominent upwelling filament originating near 28°N off the African coast, cyclonic and anti-cyclonic eddies downstream of the archipelago, and warm wake regions protected from the Trade winds by the high volcanic peaks of the islands. The filament is shown to be a recurrent feature, apparently arising from the interaction of a topographically trapped cyclonic eddy with the outer edge of the coastal upwelling zone. Its role in the transport and exchange of biogenic material, including fish larvae, is considered. Strong cyclonic eddies, observed throughout the year, drift slowly southwestward from Gran Canaria. One sampled in late summer was characterised by large vertical isopycnal displacements, apparent surface divergence and strong upwelling, producing a fourfold increase in chlorophyll concentrations over background values. Such intense eddies can be responsible for a major contribution to the vertical flux of nitrogen. The lee region of Gran Canaria is shown to be a location of strong pycnocline deformation resulting from Ekman pumping on the wind shear boundaries, which may contribute to the eddy formation process.  相似文献   

20.
Considerable attention has recently been focused on the role of eddies in affecting biogeochemical fluxes and budgets of the Sargasso Sea. In late November 1996, the Bermuda Testbed Mooring (BTM) and Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) shipboard sampling evidenced a fall phytoplankton bloom at the Bermuda time-series site which was strongly forced by the interplay between seasonal mixed layer destratification and perturbation of mixed layer dynamics due to passage of a warm mesoscale feature. The feature was characterized by clockwise current vector rotation from near the surface to about 200 m and a thick, warm, low salinity isothermal layer >180 m in depth. Nutrients, chlorophyll fluorescence and pigment profiles indicated high primary production stimulated by enhancement of nutrient entrainment and intermittent deep mixing down to the base of the feature's isothermal layer. Nearly coincident with the arrival of this productive feature at the BTM site, the Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) sediment traps recorded an abrupt, factor of 2.5 increase in mass flux at 3200 m depth. Even more dramatic was the observed increase in flux of labile bioreactive organic matter. Fluxes of primary phytoplankton-derived compounds increased by factors of 7–30, bacteria-derived compounds by 6–9, and early degradation products of sterols by a factor of 10. The covariation of early degradation products and bacteria-derived compounds with phytoplankton-derived compounds indicated that the settling phytoplankton bloom material contained elevated bacterial populations and was undergoing active degradation when it entered the 3200 m trap cup.The increase in the flux of bulk components, especially the residual silicate fraction, and refractory organic compounds clearly preceded the main pulse of the labile, surface-derived phytoplankton organic material. The coincident increase in the flux of refractory and zooplankton-derived compounds suggests that in the initial stage of the deep flux event, the mass flux increased largely as a result of an increase in the flux of refractory materials scavenged from the water column and repackaged into sinking particles and increased zooplankton inputs. These results imply that biological reprocessing of flux material within the water column acts to enhance the coupling between the surface and deep ocean environments.Our results show that transient, upper ocean forcing associated with variable upper ocean physical structure—which includes but is not limited to eddies—and variable meteorological forcing can have an enormous effect on the export flux of bioreactive organic material. The importance of pulsed fluxes of bioreactive material arising from transient physical forcing to the long-term average is not presently known. However, the occurrence of episodic high flux events throughout the OFP time-series record (also inferred from BTM time-series) suggests that such forcing, regardless of specific dynamics, may be responsible for a significant fraction of the total export flux of bioreactive carbon and associated elements to the deep oligotrophic ocean.  相似文献   

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